Ron Paul’s Gang

I found your article on the Ron Paul lemmings to be very informative (“The Ron Paul Posse,” “City Lights,” January 31). Until now, my only impression of these people has been the anger I feel every time I drive past the new Thurgood Marshall Middle School and see the painted Ron Paul graffiti on the school’s new concrete sign that it shares with Alliant International University. Perhaps Ron can send a couple members of his dedicated gang to clean up the vandalism, apparently left by one of their own.

Peter

Scripps Ranch

Correction

The photo of Tim Mays in the January 17 cover story, “Rockin’ Baby Boomers,” was taken by Robert Rowsey.

Cartoon In Error

Attention, Neal Obermeyer. Your cartoon is in error (January 31). The new proposition is not to extend term limits; it shortens them but keeps the terms in one house, so there is less house-hopping and more stability. Please do not mislead the readers.

Valerie Sanfilippo

via email

We Want What You Have

I feel compelled to write to you today to clarify a few points in your recent article “The Principal’s Principles,” dated January 24 (“City Lights”). While it is true that Mr. Rood and I were in a relationship, it is also true that we are currently in a custody dispute over my youngest daughter. Mr. Rood was the associate publisher (I’ve enclosed a copy of his business card under separate cover for your clarification) of both the Gay and Lesbian Times and rocket magazine, it is not true that we fired him as your article states. His clients and leads were simply reassigned, as is common practice in our industry. It’s preposterous to believe that I or my staff were unaware of the fact that Mr. Rood was a full-time all-year-round principal with the San Diego Unified School District. That being said, Mr. Rood kept his own hours with our publications. When the district contacted us informing us of an ongoing investigation into Mr. Rood, we responded by sending them to our attorney. As to the ethics of this situation, it is up to Mr. Rood and the San Diego Unified School District to decide.

As for Mr. Yuhas, he is a journalist entitled to his opinion and his voice. As a fellow journalist, I respect that even though I often disagree with him, as I have disagreed with your past editorial positions. You also mention that the Gay and Lesbian Times countered an editorial Mr. Yuhas wrote for the Union-Tribune. That is not true. A columnist took it upon himself to respond to Mr. Yuhas’s comments. We simply published it unedited as many newspapers do. As to your questioning of whether or not my publications are pornographic, it is up to your readers to decide. They can easily pick up a copy of the Gay and Lesbian Times or sign on to the Web and view past issues of rocket magazine at www. rocketsandiego.com and make up their own minds.

As for my philosophy, I simply want to be treated equally, as the vast majority of my community would agree. We seek absolutely no special treatment and no special rights. We want what you have. Period!

I understand deadlines and the importance of trying to get a story out. I hope this helps.

Michael G. Portantino

Publisher

Gay and Lesbian Times

Idiots!

Why must you make it so hard to look at all music events?? I did a search for music events and nothing was found for the entire month of February. Nice work. Guess I’m going to SignOnSanDiego.

Idiots!!!

Name Withheld

via email

We will soon return to our former website format of displaying a list of music events by venue — just as we do in the print version. Look for changes to the music section of our new site in the coming weeks. — Editor

Schad Access

I have accessed Jerry Schad’s “Roam-O-Rama” for several years from your site — it has provided me with a lot of good information for outside activities. But I can’t find it on your site any longer. Has it been renamed or moved somewhere else? Please let me know how I can access this information again.

S.F.

via email

In the navigational bar on the home page, place your cursor on “Stories.” You’ll find “Roam-O-Rama” in the pull-down menu of alphabetized stories and columns. — Editor

Include Cotija’s

Your cover story on tacos and Mexican restaurants in your January 24 issue was truly great (“Tacos Are a Tiny Taste of Temptation”). I have made notes on several places I must try. However, you missed a real treasure here in Point Loma. It is called Cotija Taco Shop and is located at 3720 Voltaire Street. My family has enjoyed their food since 1976, and my young grandkids, who live away from San Diego, insist on having food from there when they visit.

In fact, during a visit of one of my daughters for Thanksgiving two years ago, my grandsons (ages 9 and 11) insisted we have shrimp quesadillas instead of turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, and that is what we had. Also, during a visit from my other daughter and family, we were in La Jolla walking along the sidewalk above the ocean after we had been playing at the beach, and I mentioned that I might be moving to a senior housing center in La Jolla and to think how great that would be when they visited. By being so close to the beach, they could spend more time there. My 8-year-old grandson thought about this for a minute and then said something like, “No, Grandpa — you can’t do that because if you did we’d be too far away from Cotija Taco.”

So, in my extended family’s opinion, Cotija Taco should have been included in your great list.

John Sandy

Midway

Accept, Adapt

In response to your January 10 article titled “Global Warming in a Nutshell,” the first paragraph contains an error. It’s not global warming people deny. Global warming is happening. Global warming is good. The alternative is to slip into another ice age, which would be bad. You see, climate changes. That’s what it does. You cannot stop it — you have to simply accept it, adapt to it.

The second paragraph contains an error. The Keeling Curve and Keeling’s work in general did not show “beyond a shadow of a doubt that humans were causing carbon dioxide to increase.” It shows that carbon dioxide is increasing and says nothing of the cause. Further, as carbon dioxide continues to increase, since 1998 temperatures have at best remained somewhat constant if in fact they have not cooled off. Those wishing to continue to fool themselves regarding the fact nature dominates man, not the other way around, say that 2007 was the seventh-warmest year on record. If the planet is experiencing rampant warming, don’t you think it would be first, second, or third instead of seventh?

There are many more errors in the article. Among the worst is the claim that “polar ice sheets ‘form from snow falling on land and then being compacted.’ ” The north polar ice cap sits not on land but on the Arctic Ocean. It does not form from snow falling on land. In fact, it’s essentially too cold and dry for snow or other precipitation to fall there — the ice there forms by freezing water from the ocean, not from falling snow. And if “the snow never melts in the polar regions,” why were Catastrophic Anthropogenic Climate Catastrophe Alarmists (CACCA) so upset about the fact the Northwest Passage may be open again soon. Don’t worry, the last time it was, the polar bears survived. Plus they aren’t as vocal about how the north polar ice refroze at record rates this winter or about how the southern ice has been setting new records for its extent. Of course not — that tends to disprove their favorite myth — that we’re experiencing a climate catastrophe. They’re depending on it to keep us interested in their plan to create a massive transfer of wealth much like the oil-for-food program. Why? Well, when you have trillions changing hands for no good reason, who’s going to notice a billion or two that’s gone missing here or there?

Your article raises the issue of increased desertification even though geological evidence suggests that a warmer world (with the continents in their current configurations) tends to be a wetter world. More warmth tends to produce more evaporation, which in turn leads to higher humidity and greater precipitation, not less. Deserts get a boost when evaporation rates decrease, and what moisture there is available gets stored in ice and snow — like during an ice age.

Climate change is inevitable. The Earth has been warmer. It has warmed faster. Besides, warmer temperatures mean a longer thong season. How can anyone be against that?

Greg Harris

via email

Please, Please, Please

I am a regular reader of the Reader. I miss very much the comic strips. Please don’t discontinue them. Please bring back the comic books. I especially miss “Shoehorn Technique,” which is just hilarious. Please bring them back.

Irv Jacobs

La Mesa